For an incredible 14 years, she has not missed a single Women’s World Floorball Championships — but this year’s tournament will be her last. Slovak captain Katarína Klapitová, who also enjoyed a highly successful era in the Czech Extraliga, announced her decision earlier. And fittingly, she experienced that era right in the city where the championships will move on Wednesday after four days in Brno. The experienced player speaks not only about floorball, but also about her deep friendship with Martina Řepková.
This is your eighth Women’s World Championship. How does it feel to still be part of the national team after so many years?
It’s true that after such a long time, I can really appreciate how much Slovak women’s floorball has progressed. Just look at our results — at my first championships we finished twelfth, while at the last four we’ve consistently fought for fifth place. And we’re trying to break into the top four. Floorball has changed enormously in terms of infrastructure and the funding behind it. Players come and go, but for me the national team has always been a matter of the heart. Still, I’m a bit sad that my age group is disappearing and younger and younger generations are taking over.
But that certainly isn’t a bad thing for the Slovak team.
It’s amazing to see that when the girls joined the national team about six years ago, they hadn’t surpassed us floorball-wise yet. But the ones who came in recent years have absolutely overtaken us. I hope I had at least some influence on that. Personally, it will be beautiful to finish my career at this World Floorball Championships in Brno and Ostrava. Like I always say — I started big floorball in Ostrava, so symbolically, I’ll end it in Ostrava too.
It’s been 12 years since you played the Women’s World Floorball Championships in these same cities. Do you feel nostalgic? Do memories come back?
Honestly, I don’t remember that tournament very well anymore. I only remember that before it started, Denisa Ferenčíková got injured, and she was so missed in the matches. If I recall correctly, we finished ninth, right?
Exactly. Until then, it was Slovakia’s best-ever finish at a Women’s WFC.
A very close round-of-16 game against Latvia decided it. We lost 3–4 and missed out on the top eight. I know we were extremely disappointed because even back then we felt we had the team to make it. In the end, we achieved it two years later at the championships in Tampere.
Slovakia now consistently battles for fifth place. What are the main factors behind this rise?
One major factor is Michal Jedlička as head coach, even if some people in the Czech environment may not like hearing that. Also, more and more of our players are going abroad. Some have already played in the top leagues in Sweden and Finland. We had very strong age groups from 1990 to 1994, but then there was a period where it just didn’t come together the way it could have. The shift only came recently. Since the last World Floorball Championships in Singapore, we can honestly say we are playing our best floorball ever.
In the Extraliga, you left an unforgettable mark in Vítkovice, where you played from 2013 to 2018. Four Superfinals, two titles, and even a goal in one of them. What comes to mind when you look back on that era?
I think of the good old Vítkovice, all my Slovak teammates, and the incredible atmosphere. Vítkovice is still my club of the heart — they pulled me up from my floorball “childhood” all the way to the top. We never aimed for anything less than the title; we only came for gold. We trained harder than anywhere else, and that discipline stayed with me to this day. So Vítkovice deserves a big thank you for that as well. And the Superfinals? One better than the next — simply unforgettable.
The climax of this year’s championships will take place in Ostrava. How do you feel about returning to a city where you experienced so much?
My last game in Ostrava was the victorious 2018 Superfinal. I have beautiful memories of it. I remember looking into the stands right before the end — everything was blue. All I could hear was “Vítkovice!” Until that moment, I hadn’t fully realised how fantastic our fan base was, how beautiful the floorball we played was, and how much I enjoyed it. I’ll be happy to return — and I hope I won’t freak out from the atmosphere, but on the contrary, that it will give us energy.
You’ve now been playing in Switzerland for a long time. While in Chur, you also played with current Czech national team members Martina Řepková and Eliška Trojánková. What kind of group were you together?
I really enjoyed playing with the girls. Playing with Marťa was amazing — she’s my favourite player and one of my closest friends. Once we stepped on the field, everything clicked. With Eliška, it was simple: pass, she sprinted forward, and I usually just raised my hands to celebrate. It’s a pity we can’t go back in time to play together again, but those memories are truly wonderful.
And what about memories off the field?
Hard to choose! (laughs) Marťa and I experienced a bit more together, and we still meet once a week for lunch. We celebrated birthdays together and went to all sorts of events. So I won’t go into too much detail, but I love spending time with her. She’s one of my favourite people — with the biggest heart.
Martina Řepková recently reached 100 national team appearances at this championships. What does this milestone mean to you?
Considering everything she has gone through — much of it publicly known — I’m incredibly proud of her. She’s such a fighter. I don’t think just anyone could overcome what she did. She showed her strength as a woman, and above all she is an outstanding player, a wonderful friend, and already a Czech legend. I’m very proud of her and grateful that I could play with her — not only as a teammate, but also as an opponent.